Urgent call to expel Russia from music organisations
UncategorizedHeads of Ukrainian organizations have demanded that Russia be expelled immediately from Opera Europa.
The same should surely apply to the world federation of international music competitions, the international arts managers association and other roof organizations that still recognize the criminal state. Just do it now.
Here’s the Opera Europa letter:
Open Letter to the Members of Opera Europa Network
Dear colleagues,
We deeply appreciate your solidarity and all the support you are willing to show to Ukraine today. We also understand your desire to embed the longer term perspective into your response and actions.
However, we feel we must bring to your attention several aspects of the situation, which may be less visible from a distance. First of all, many Ukrainian artists, indeed most Ukrainian citizens today, are in a position when their welfare and even life are being threatened daily. Our museums, theatres, philarmonies and concert halls are being shelled and bombed daily – specifically, Kharkiv National Opera, a member of Opera Europa, has been already damaged by the Russian artillery fire. It is very hard for us to understand why all of this is of less concern now than necessity to keep the doors open to the cooperation with Russian theaters in the longer term.
Secondly, we are not pushing for some paper sanctions – we simply want Russian cultural institutions and their leaders to speak about their position clearly and openly. They are highly visible actors in their own country, who used to have sufficient moral authority to influence position of their audiences on a broad spectrum of questions.
We strongly believe they must either
1) send a clear and unequivocal signal publicly that they condemn the actions of
their government or
2) choose the path of shame and isolation, by keeping silent and observing their
Opera Europa membersip being revoked.
This may be a challenging choice for them, and it may be an uneasy step for Opera Europa to make them face this choice – but it is the only moral thing to do now. And make no mistake – neither of us is pushing anyone into the maw of Putin, but together we have a chance to pull at least some of the Russians from his poisonous embrace.
We know we have support of several non-Ukrainian members of Opera Europa on this issue, but we hope this position will be adopted by Opera Europa as an organisation. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends’. This short phrase perfectly captures our pathos. We hope for your understanding and would welcome bolder actions by Opera
Europa. This war is not about Ukrainian national interests or politics, it is about common European values and human dignity.
Truly Yours,
Galyna Grygorenko
Head of the State Agency of Arts and Artistic Education, co-founder of Open Opera
Ukraine, independent opera company
Bogdan Strutynsky
General Manager-Artistic Director of the National operetta theatre of Ukraine, Kyiv
Petro Chupryna
General Manager-Artistic Director of Taras Shevchenko National opera and ballet
theatre of Ukraine, Kyiv
Vasyl Vovkun
General Manager-Artistic Director of Solomiia Krushelnytska National opera and
ballet theatre of Ukraine, Lviv
Nadiia Babich
General Manager-Artistic Director of Odesa National opera and ballet theatre of
Ukraine, Odesa
Oleg Orishchenko
General Manager-Artistic Director of Mykola Lysenko National opera and ballet
theatre of Ukraine, Kharkiv
Ivan Kosyachenko
General Director of the National Odesa Philarmonic Orchestra
Anna Gadetska
Co-founder and Program Director of Open Opera Ukraine
Nataliia Khmilevska
Co-founder and Artistic Director of Open Opera Ukraine
Ott Maaten
Director General, Estonian National Opera
Jonas Sakalauskas
General Manager, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre
Renata Borowska-Juszczyńska
Dyrektor/General Manager Teatr Wielki im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Poznaniu
Jan Burian
General Director, Národní divadlo / The National Theatre Prague
Catarina Molder
General Director Opera do Castelo & Operafest Lisboa
So, they are not asking for help.
They just want revenge.
They want a modicum of accountability. From Government associated organizations, not individuals.
I am failing to understand how your manipulative comment is not being downvoted to oblivion, Cheereo, but then you can’t even be bothered to come up with a plausibly sounding nickname.
And yet, you very well know the people getting cancelled are musicians who do not have a say in what their Government does.
You want musicians to accomplish what worlds leaders have not been successful to do.
Love the use of the word accountability. Because now I want you to explain to me what did these musicians do?
Now Tell me Andrey, do you not have a modicum of shame that, at all this, what bothered you the most was my nickname?
What about all the other countries in the world that have been blastered from here to Kingdom come by the UK and USA in the past and still ongoing? Where’s the accountability for Yeman? For the Iraqis? (Twice) What about the poor folk in Libya? You type talk utter Shi*te and are so far up your own arse that you think the smell of shi* is normal. Cancelling an entire nation will do what? The Ukrainians are far from innocent in all of this and NATO along with USA have done this. The only people that are innocent are those caught up in it on the ground. F-ing coward is what you are.
Your comment is a good example of the fallacy of false dilemma. Asking for help and wanting accountability are not mutually exclusive. Your labeling of their demands as “revenge” is also false equivocation. It must be terrible for you and those who upvoted your ignorant comment to lead a life fearing “unjust revenge” from others, to the point you completely fail to capture basic logic and compassion for other humans…Hope things get better for all of us!
The fallacy is to believe that by punishing these musicians, this problem will solved.
You and I both know it wont.
But we also know, it might just add a few more victims in this war.
Why would that make it better? Who benefits from it?
How cute to see you assume that both Cheero and those of us who gave him likes are ignorant because we do not nourish your confirmation bias.
The false distance in which your ego places you from others prevents you from intuiting that perhaps we are not as wrong as it seems.
Excuse me, Ukraine did not ask to be invaded and bombed to smithereens! We are living in very strange times, and all kinds of artistic events are being used to promote the imperial ambitions of President Putin, including opera, ballet, recitals etc. Everyone in the West should wake up to this fact.
Hmmm treading in dangerous waters here but the wonderful Rosa Parks said:-
“Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.”
Thank you for this post, Elizabeth.
If you would, please expand on your comment “treading in dangerous waters”.
– regards, Greg
Of course it’s much easier to scapegoat Russian classical musicians that have magical powers of putting millions of Russians on the streets than have balls to ban oil, coal and gas.
Bans to coal, oil and gas now implemented by the US.
and the UK
I feel for my Russian musician friends who never wanted this – many have relatives in Ukraine.
If you’re upset with this, complain to Vladimir Putin.
Western democracies are rightfully inflicting economic pain on Russian citizens to pressure Putin to end the war.
And remember, Russians are being hurt economically while Ukrainians are being killed, their cities being razed, etc.
Yes, probably the only real solution to this is for enough Russians to take action and finally unseat Putin
Deeply interesting. What about the hairy and inconvenient issue of famous western musicians who took awards from Russian institutions who happen to be led by Putin’s stooges?
I am taking one example (absolutely randomly, the first name that pops to mind): Riccardo Muti
a) In October 2021, in the headquarters of the Russian Embassy in Vienna, with an official ceremony, Maestro Riccardo Muti was appointed Honorary Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Arts
b) The honor was awarded by the Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky
c) Since 1997 to the present day, the RAA (Russian Academy of Arts) has been headed by Zurab Tsereteli
d) Zurab Tsereteli has been heavily criticized throughout the duration of his career, with public opinion heavily shaped by his involvement with the Russian government. In March 2014 he was reported to have signed a letter in support of the position of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
e) Zurab Tsereteli is a great artist. One of his greatest creations, which surely will live on to immortality, is the Putin statue you can admire here:
https://www.alamyimages.fr/photo-image-une-statue-de-vladimir-poutine-a-la-galerie-d-art-de-zurab-tsereteli-22898093.html
Should Riccardo Muti return his award? Certainly, for such a “gutsy man”, returning this award should not cause any vacillation?
We trust that Muti, as always, will do the right thing.
Why do musicians have to pay for this irrationality? They have dedicated their life to one of the most noble professions.
No one wants, and no one has supported those who are in agreement with such actions. Understandable if one would prefer most people will speak up. But forcing people who might feel threatened by doing so is far from noble on your behalf.
What’s next, internment camps for Russian musicians like we had for Japanese Americans during WWII?
They also need to expel all Chinese artists and orchestras as well.
It is unfair to condemn russian artists due to conflicts outside of their course of action and it won’t solve the current situation at hand.
I understand and sympathize with Ukrainian cause. However one injustice should not be fought with more injustice.
I am opposed to this proposal.This detracts from the cause.
Somewhat unrelated to the post but related to Russian music makers, Gergiev sells his Italian properties, 150 millions in Milan alone. The news is in the Italian Corriere. Looks like he doesn’t plan to come back, or, with the ruble not worth anything these days, he needs the money.
The economic siege of Russia is apparently working. Yesterday Putin shut down the exchange of the rouble so it’s effectively been destroyed as a trading currency. Russian cultural practitioners are an export as well as ordinary human beings. I hate that they’ve been cancelled but each of them represents thousands of ordinary but anonymous Russians who are suffering as a result of the sanctions.
Putin, his oligarchs and Gergiev are likely sitting pretty and don’t care. But cultural exports brings Russia prestige as well as foreign currency so with great reluctance I conclude that whilst Ukraine and its ordinary citizens are being cruelly bombarded they take priority.
There will please G-d be a time to rebuild cultural bridges but it’s not now.
For those clutching their pearls over this – Opera Europa is a forum for managers working within opera to co-ordinate general strategy and the training of future opera managers and (to a much lesser extent) artists.
Amongst other things, its primary activities include conferences, open days, and a (somewhat unsuccessful) streaming platform.
Ejecting Russian-sited companies from it will not have a significant impact on those Russian artists currently working in Europe. It’s purely a political statement and those Ukrainians calling for it are merely trying to get the organisation to act in accordance with its already released message of solidarity.
Ja Polak uważam, że ukraińcy są podłym, zdemoralizowanym i zbrodniczym narodem
Nawet naziści nie wymordowali tylu Polaków co ukraińscy nacjonaliści, Polacy w większości nie popierają rządu Mateusza Morawieckiego i wpuszczania do Polski Ukraińców
Ukrainian nationalists murdered more Poles than the German Nazis, cruelly murdered women and children, cut open their bellies and pulled their entrails, gouged out their eyes, which is why most Poles do not support the Ukrainophilia of the worst Polish prime minister, Morawiecki
Well… those people are long dead. Why can we never eventually move on? Same thing in the south of these “United” states.
It’s not that easy to criticise Putin. It’s a prison sentence at worse, or loss of work.
Let me get this straight:
If Russians fear repercussions for not speaking out, it’s okay. Poor Russians.
If Germans feared repercussions for not speaking out, who cares, they’re all guilty. To this day.
Amazing.
Kristallnacht against everything Russian. Hint: The Westerners never needed a reason to hate the Russians. They have every reason to fear the existential threat coming from the West.
Unfortunately this is the mentality affecting a not insignificant part of the Russian population, according to sociologists. For two decades Russians have been carefully manipulated into a near-paranoia state. They believe that everyone hates them, envies them, plots to get their assets, everyone posses an existential threat to Russia. This is a defensive narrative, providing justification to Putin’s own narrative, that Russia is the best country in the world but they have been pushed into a corner and have to react, have to defend themselves. I don’t know how such thinking can be reversed before they harm the whole world and themselves in the process.
For years Russia was weaponising music and using Russian musicians for that. Gergiev conducting in South Osetia a few hundred meters from Georgian POWs and in Syria, Russian music events in Western Europe and USA during the annexation of Crimea. Gazprom sponsored Baltic Youth Orchestra promoting Nord Stream which was the key project for Russia to start this war, all these murky Russian oligarch sponsors of Western Festivals (Salzburg, Verbier, Usedom), some allegedly linked to Russian intelligence, a number of fixed music competitions… anybody surprised that there is this backlash? People in the West have been so naive about what was going on, when Russia tried to make everybody think they are a civilised country unable to commit atrocities in Chechnya, Ukraine or Syria. If you don’t believe me look at this. The foundation mentioned in the allegations has been sponsoring a festival and a music competition which are happening in Dubai around now: https://newsbook.com.mt/en/culture-ministry-looking-into-national-orchestras-russian-partners/
If we don’t want a new North Korea next door – we should allow the cultural dialogue with Russia continue, to let the stems of art grow and bring hope of renewal.
The majority of Russians are stricken with grief seeing their Ukrainian relatives bombed, facing the repressions of their own government ( there is a new 15 year prison sentence up for grabs for any outspoken position)- and being kicked by the rest of the world.
In London, Russian and Ukrainians are inseparable- there are strongest friendships and selfless support.
Ganging up on people because of their race just shows we are no better than whom we despise
This is like banning Shostakovich for being from the Soviet Union. Musicians are carriers of peace at all times. There are just very few shameful exceptions